In which Phil stumbles accross a love potion.

~

NOTE [For those wondering, this is actually taking place at the same time as the harry potter series, sort of (when you write something long and publish as you go there will always be soome mistakes) – Dan's in his third year, Harry and co are in fourth year (goblet of fire) and Phil is in his fifth year. This is a Hogwarts au rather than a harry potter au so harry and co won't really feature, but the things that happened to Hogwarts in this time will (ignore what I said in the last chapter about it being spring – I've had to backtrack for timeline purposes and it's winter again lol)]

~

"You stink of soil. Again. Is it really so hard to take a bath after you've been digging about in the mud?" Dan teased.

"I'd be taking like five baths a day." Phil rolled his eyes.

"Well you should. It's a case of consideration for others, Philip."

Phil laughed. "I'm sorry. Is it really awful?"

"Terrible. I'm not sure I can even sit next to you. I might just go sit over there, and you can shout instructions at me." Dan gestured to the other end of the library.

"I'm sure Madam Prince would be thrilled by that," Phil giggled, "If you want, I can block your nose with tissue? It's quite a simple spell. Alternatively I could use live rats."

"Eww. You're ridiculous. Keep your wand away from me."

Phil poked Dan playfully in the side with his wand, and a spattering of red sparks shot out – making Dan yelp and fall off his chair with a thump.

"Sorry sorry it was an accident! I didn't mean to shoot sparks. I forgot it does that." Quickly, Phil mended the scorch marks in Dan's robes before he noticed.

"You forgot your wand does magic when you point it at stuff."

"Yeah..."

"Jesus. I can see why Suzie's so pissed off with you." Dan shook his head as he clambered back onto his stool, but his expression softened at the sight of Phil's downcast eyes. "Hey, it's okay, it didn't hurt. Just surprised me."

"No it's not that... I mean I don't care about you obviously. It's just, Suzie's really pissed off with me at the moment. I can't remember the last time she wasn't to be honest."

"Do you think she's going to break it off?"

Phil nodded glumly.

Dan rubbed Phil's shoulder comfortably, making a point to wrinkle his nose up in mock disgust at the earthy smell coming from Phil's grubby robes. "Don't worry. I'm sure you can patch it up. Maybe do something for her, like a grand gesture or something really romantic. Hey, you could take her to the tree in the forest and carve your names on it!"

Phil shook his head. "It wouldn't have any meaning to it, it would be weird because I've already been there with you. And anyway, what would I say if she spotted our names already there?"

"Okay, good point," Dan frowned. "How about flowers and stuff? Grow a special rose for her? If that fails, just make a love potion or something."

Phil laughed. "We don't get to do those till next year."

"Steal one!" Dan grinned. "Bake her a cake?"

"Maybe," Phil said, but his tone was unconvinced.

~

The potions dungeon was filled with a sparkling green smoke that issued from rows of bubbling cauldrons, collecting on the ceiling and clouding the room so that Phil had to squint to see the instructions on the blackboard. Professor Snape swooped through the aisles of students, sneering into the cauldrons, his face sallow and waxen in the flickering light. The fires made the small stone room uncomfortably warm and Phil was sweating in his winter robes. After attempting unsuccessfully to chop his roots several times, Phil got up to sharpen his knife. Behind the teacher's desk, a potion was brewing in Snape's own pewter cauldron. The surface had a mother of pearl sheen to it and steam was rising in thin pink spirals.

"Amortentia,"

The voice behind him made Phil jump. Snape leered down at Phil.

"I am preparing a cask for my sixth years. Tell me, could you describe the aroma?" Snape's voice had an edge of amusement to it.

Phil racked his brains desperately for amortentia, he knew he'd heard the word somewhere before, but he came up blank. "Um," he muttered, sure he was about to fail some test. "It smells like broomsticks I guess, and honey and something warm. I don't know how to describe it."

Snape's sneer widened. "Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It smells differently to each person according to what attracts them. Apparently Phil Lester has a thing for Quidditch players."

Phil blushed crimson. Their exchange had attracted the attention of most of class, and an appreciative titter went out from those who had been listening to Snape. Phil turned quickly to sharpen his knife on the stone, then hurried back to his seat without meeting Snape's gaze. It was all the more humiliating because he didn't even know any Quidditch players, and the broomstick smell was almost definitely because he'd met Suzie in Quality Quidditch Supplies three years earlier during a trip to Diagon Alley. He sighed, and returned to cutting roots.

~

"You stink! Jesus Christ Phil, did you literally bathe yourself in soil this time?" Dan wrinkled up his nose.

"I just had herbology, it's not my fault!" Phil said defensively. "Anyway, you're not smelling too savoury yourself. Are you maturing cheese in your shoes, or is that just your feet?" Phil dodged a swipe from Dan.

"Oi! My feet don't smell. How dare you. I think actually- get that away from me!"

Phil had conjured up a large bar of soap and was making it float lazily towards Dan.

"If anyone needs that it's you." Dan muttered, attempting to bat away the soap with his textbook.

"I smell like roses," Phil said cheerfully. "Quite literally. We were repotting the fanged ones in greenhouse three."

"Okay, literally, why is there any need for fanged roses."

"Guarding your garden?"

"That's ridiculous. I think most of the things in that greenhouse can do the job pretty well themselves."

"Giving them to unsuspecting lovers that have cheated on you or something?"

"That might be pretty useful actually." Dan mused.

"See," Phil grinned. The soap vanished with a pop as he lay back on a bean bag. "You're getting a lot better at this transfiguration stuff. But like, you're a really good friend as well. I was thinking, tomorrow, for the welcoming feast, do you wanna come sit with us? The delegates from all the other schools will be sitting on whatever table they want and the whole point of this tournament thing is socializing and making friends and stuff, I don't think they'd mind if you sat on the wrong table. People move about a lot anyway, and I hate watching you sitting on your own every day when I just want to go over to you but I'm scared of getting beaten up by Slytherins."

Dan bit his lip. His voice rose a notch as he spoke. "But I don't know any of your friends I'd just sort of be sitting there in the way not saying much and I-"

"They're nice I promise. Well, Carrie is. She'll be super sweet to you and make sure you're not feeling left out or anything. Actually she probably just won't shut up and will get your whole life story out of you. But trust me, she won't care that you're a Slytherin and a third year. Chris might joke about a bit if he comes over because, you know, he's in Gryffindor. But like Charlie and Tom and everyone will be friendly I'm sure. You'll have way more fun than sitting on your own. And like, I'd really like us to be proper friends – not just study buddies. So you've got to meet them all at some point." Phil smiled encouragingly, but Dan still looked unsure.

"I'll think about it, okay? I'll make my mind up on the day. I hear the Durmstrang lot are really scary so if I'm feeling intimidated I'll come hide with you."

Phil smiled, wishing he could pull Dan's timid frame into his arms.

~

Phil was skipping two at a time down the marble staircase when he spotted Dan, stood alone to read a large sign that had been erected outside the entrance hall.

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at 6 o'clock on Friday 30th October. Lessons will end half an hour early. Students will return all bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle to greet our guests before the Welcoming Feast.

Phil paused and bit his lip, wondering if Dan had made his mind up as to whether to sit with them or not.

"Dan!" He called, and Dan jumped. "You excited? It's tonight and then there's the Halloween Feast tomorrow. They're going to have to roll me into potions on Monday."

Dan laughed. "It'll be cool to see people from other magic schools. I dunno, I guess being muggleborn I hadn't thought of any wizarding community existing outside Hogwarts. It's scary sometimes, thinking what I'll do when I leave. I don't have any family or anything to go to – I'll have to be completely alone till I've got enough money to bring my parents into this world a bit."

"You'll be fine," Phil said soothingly. "There are millions of muggleborns all over the world. And you'll have all your friends to help you."

"I don't have any friends." Dan said automatically.

"You have me," Phil said gently, "And if you can be brave you'll have a whole bunch more. I promise I'll stay by your side all night and I won't talk to anyone else."

"Don't be silly." Dan said, but he smiled.

Phil grinned back. "Wanna go get breakfast then?"

"Actually I've already had mine." Dan said.

"That was quick," Phil raised his eyebrows, "What did you eat?"

"Just toast with honey. I have it every day, I'm not usually very hungry in the mornings."

~

The conversation all week had been revolving around the Triwizard Tournament and rumours were flying around the castle like high-speed owls: who was going to try out for Hogwarts champion, what the tournament would involve, how the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons differed from themselves. The castle too had undergone an extra thorough cleansing. Several grimy portraits had been scrubbed, much the displeasure of their subjects, who sat huddled in their frames muttering darkly and wincing as they felt their raw, pink faces. The suits of armour were suddenly gleaming and fresh garlands of flowers hung from the walls.

The staff seemed oddly tense too.

"Kendall, kindly do not reveal that you can't even perform a simple switching spell in front of anyone from Durmstrang!" Professor McGonagall barked at the end of a particularly difficult lesson, during which Chris had accidentally managed to transplant his own ears on to a cactus.

When Phil wandered in alone for breakfast, he found that the Great Hall had been decorated overnight. Enormous silk banners hung from the walls, each of them representing a Hogwarts house. Behind the teachers' table, the largest banner of all bore the Hogwarts coat of arms. He sat down beside Chris, who still sported large bandages on either ear and a somewhat disgruntled expression.

"They're not even letting us practice. I'd thought, with the Quidditch Cup cancelled, we'd still meet up as a rough team to, you know, stay in shape and stuff. But apparently they're using the pitch for one of the bloody Triwizard tasks." Chris grumbled.

Phil patted his back sympathetically. "You can still fly though. I've heard flying over the forest at night is pretty cool, because you won't get in trouble then and you can go all the way to the mountains."

"Who told you that?" Chris asked, surprised. "That's mental. You'd probably get eaten by thestrals or something."

"Nah, I reckon it would be fun."

"You don't even like flying!" Chris exclaimed. "It's all that time spent staying up helping random third years, you need to get more sleep mate. You're going even weirder than usual."

Phil blushed guiltily. "Talking about random third years, you may have noticed Dan kinda doesn't have any friends. I told him he could sit with us tonight if he wanted."

Chris groaned. "Please tell me you're not going to make me talk to a thirteen year old."

"He's fourteen actually, only a year younger than you."

"You sure? When's his birthday?" Chris asked sceptically.

"Eleventh of June."

"That would make him thirteen then, if he's in third year."

Phil frowned. "He definitely said fourteen..."

Chris laughed. "I think he's been having you on mate. I would too if I wanted to hang out with an older kid. Well, it's your call. Carrie will talk to him I'm sure. But if he's annoying, I will poison his food."

Phil rolled his eyes as Chris stuffed a final slice of toast into his mouth and sauntered out of the hall. Why had Dan lied to him? Or had he been kept back a year? His transfiguration was pretty awful... Phil mused silently into his cornflakes.

~

There was a pleasant air of anticipation in the air all day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, and when the bell rang the whole school rushed to assemble in the Entrance Hall.

The heads of houses were ordering their students into lines.

"Kendall, straighten your hat," Professor McGonagall snapped at Chris. "Gryffindors, follow me."

Professor Sprout led the Hufflepuffs out and down the steps to spread out in front of the castle. It was a cold, clear evening; dusk was falling and a pale, transparent-looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. All around Phil, students were discussing animatedly the possible means of arrival.

The Beauxbatons arrived first in a huge, horse drawn carriage that hurtled through the air. The Durmstrangs arrived in a tall, skeletal ship that rose silently yet magnificently out of the black lake, and all at once they were back in the hall preparing for the feast. Phil cast his eyes around the throng of people for Dan, and suddenly he was beside him.

"I can't get to my table without going past those massive Durmstrangs, so I guess I'm sitting with you, if that's okay." Dan said in a small voice.

Phil beamed. "Of course! Quick, let's sit down before it fills up. I'll make sure Carrie sits on the other side of you."

The Durmstrang students were pulling off their heavy furs and looking up at the starry black ceiling with expressions of interest. The Beauxbatons however clutched their powder blue robes around them and shivered, one girl eyeing Hagrid down a long and pointed nose with disgust.

A group of jovial Durmstrangs bounded over to the Hufflepuff table and settled noisily next to Carrie, immediately turning to pump the hands of the group and introduce themselves. One of the boys seemed not to have been content with the simple brown of his cloak and had sewn numerous other furs in many different colours into the fabric. He had a wide, slightly crooked smile and a surprisingly skinny frame under the heavy furs. "I'm Alex!" He grinned, shaking Carrie's hand.

She smiled, warming to him immediately, and Dan shivered. He had been counting on this Carrie person to make friends with him while Phil was busy, and he was already starting to regret his decision.

Phil however seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to Dan and turned quickly to introduce him to the small group.

"Dan, this is Chris, Charlie, Tom, Carrie, Bryony and Fae. Everyone, this is Dan. We've been doing transfiguration together a lot and I thought I'd rescue him from the Slytherins for the evening."

Six faces smiled warmly at Dan, each offering their 'hello's, and all at once Dan relaxed – a strange, comfortable sensation welling in his chest.

~

"Where's Suzie?" Chris asked through a mouthful of potato.

"I don't know," Phil said, his expression clouding. "She was supposed to sit with us. I don't know why she isn't really, she has all year. Maybe she made friends with some of the Beauxbatons or something."

Chris shrugged and returned to his steak, apparently uninterested in the conversations going on around him. Dan couldn't help but notice that directly in Chris's line of sight sat a tall, curly haired and incredibly attractive Ravenclaw who seemed to be holding at least 80% of Chris's attention at any one time. Dan smirked.

After they had eaten their full, the group decided to give their new Durmstrang friends a quick tour of the castle before bed. On the way, they headed down into the dungeons to drop Dan off at his common room. A sweet, sticky smell floated from the potions classroom, along with a heavy pink cloud of smoke. Phil recognised the smell immediately. Apparently the seventh years had been brewing love potions all day, and they had been left to cool while the school attended the feast. The smell in the air was almost overwhelming and made Phil feel slightly giddy. In front of him, Carrie and the Durmstrang boy, Alex, were flirting outrageously. Chris was muttering what sounded suspiciously like romantic poetry under his breath, and Bryony was shying up to a tall, dark haired Durmstrang who had remained silent for most of the meal.

The conversation was loud and cheerful, so much so that Phil almost didn't notice the two figures intertwined passionately and obliviously behind a stone pillar. A Beauxbatons boy, with floppy blonde hair and gloriously clear skin, had his mouth well and truly clamped onto Suzie Spinner. Phil stopped dead in his tracks, and all at once the group fell silent to turn and stare. Seemingly as one entity, their eyes travelled slowly from Suzie to Phil and he felt his heart drop from his mouth to his toes. His knees felt shaky and he didn't want to open his mouth for fear of what would come out. In the silence, Dan's hand slipped into his.

~

Phil didn't cry that much. He had known for a long time that things were going downhill, but then again, Suzie had been his first and only crush. Mainly however he was appalled. Never would have he expected it to end like this; maybe she'd had too much punch, and maybe the fumes from the potions classroom had taken their toll, but for whatever reason she had lost her status as a 'really nice girl' and left Phil at a loss. Dan stayed with him even when Carrie had taken Alex to see the grounds and Chris had gone in search of Italian Ravenclaws. One by one, the others had offered their condolences and slipped off to bed until Dan and Phil remained, sat close together in an empty corridor.

"Maybe it was because you smell of soil all the time." Dan tried to lighten the mood, and Phil laughed weakly.

"So did she though," he mumbled. "Herbology buddies, remember?"

Dan rubbed Phil's shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, that Beauxbatons dude was really ugly compared to you."

Phil snorted. "I appreciate your attempts to console me, but I don't think anyone would buy that one."

"It's true though," Dan said defensively. "You're much better than him. He was just so... generic. You're special. You deserve a lot better than Suzie anyway. You need to find someone you have a lot in common with, someone you click with without having to work at it."

Phil smiled. "It's not even that though, it's just the fact I wasn't even worth a bit of human decency to her – regardless of our relationship. She didn't even seem that ashamed when she spotted me. She just sort of, shrugged at me and dragged him away. Like, I matter that little to her. Even when she was pissed off with me, she always seemed to care. I just never expected that of her."

"I know, I know." Dan said soothingly. They had had the same conversation over and over, as is always the way, but Dan remained patient. Phil got the impression Dan would stay here all night with him if he needed.

~

Suzie, it transpired, was easy to hate. After several hours of comforting and pep talks from Dan, Phil had begun to see her faults. She would always be nagging at him, never happy with what he did, always wanting him to be better somehow than he could be. She was a whiner too, forever complaining about some ache or pain or terrible drama in her life. She looked down on Phil, her quiet, weirdo little tag along, and he had never really been happy with her. It was with a smile on his face that he returned to the dungeons for a second time to say goodbye to Dan. As they passed the smoke filled potions classroom, Phil suddenly had an idea.

"Wait here," he said to Dan.

Quickly, he darted inside the classroom, making sure to close the door behind him so Dan couldn't see what he was doing. He picked out the most successful looking potion and spooned a shimmering pink blob of amortentia out of the now still cauldron. He faltered for a moment, not sure if it was safe to touch, before using his wand to haphazardly siphon some of the liquid onto his robes. Thankfully, it dried clear and was almost unnoticeable within a few seconds. After a couple of liberal dollops, he decided the pungent aroma was sufficiently drowning and carefully returned the ladle. He took a generous sniff, enjoying the musky scent of broomsticks with a sweetening of honey. The warmness was there too. It seemed oddly familiar, maybe it reminded him of home, but that made no sense. Amortentia was supposed to smell of something he found attractive, but Phil was in too much of a hurry to put much thought into it. Chuckling with anticipation, he headed back out into the corridor where he immediately pounced on Dan, pulling him into a bear hug.

"What do I smell like now then, eh?" He grinned.

Dan laughed, pushing him away. "You smell like a pathetic attempt to cover up your stupid soil smell with chocolate. In fact, I think you've just ended up making the soil smell stronger."